Ultimate Teen Titans: Kindergarten Titan
by Whenntooda
Summary: UTT Episode Three. Bane is after the children of the richest people in Gotham. So one Titan is called to go undercover and protect the kids... Cyborg! But he'll need the help of a certain blind janitor. Slight Parody of Kindergarten Cop.
1. Chapter I:The Formal Request

****Okay, I know I shouldn't... but I'm giving y'all another Titan story. This one will not be focused on Spidey/Rae so much, but it will continue the story. And yes, tomorrow, I will begin to publish the villain story. Vote for Slade or Wadey! I prefer Slade, and the vote is tied right now, so cast your lots!

**Ultimate Teen Titans**

**Kindergarten Titan**

**Chapter I**

**A Formal Request**

"Booyah!"

"Not cool!"

Cyborg and Beast Boy were yet again playing video games, and Cyborg was yet again winning. BB now seriously believed that Cyborg had rigged the game.

"You totally pulled a noobish weapon on me!" he protested. "That's not sportsman-like!"  
"Oh yeah? Like the time you used the rocket launcher _and _spawn-camped me?"

No one paid attention to their argument. Robin was redesigning his Nightwing costume with help from Starfire, and Raven was showing Spider-Man the Titans' Villains List. At the last sentence, however, Spidey looked up.

"And spawn-camper?" he said, sounding sarcastically mortified. "For shame, BB. I wouldn't go pointing the finger of blame if I were you." He turned back to the list. "Now, who the hell is Mumbo Jumbo...?"

Raven giggled, and Cyborg and BB stopped their argument for a few seconds, struggling to comprehend what they had just heard. A week ago, BB and Starfire had set up Raven and Spidey on a blind date, and since then, they had been going out. It was incredible seeing the change Spider-Man had on Raven.

BB had paid for it, though, as well as Starfire. But while Starfire could look glamorous in anything she wore, BB wearing her outfit...

"I still have pictures," Cyborg said sneakily, an evil grin on his face.

"What, do you stare at them at night?" BB said, punching him on the shoulder, and wincing. "Ow!"

"Ha!" Cyborg laughed. "You wish."

Robin suddenly stood up, speaking into his communicator. He seemed annoyed.

"No, Bruce, I can't," he said aloud, and the rest of the Titans stopped what they were doing and listened. "I'm not at your beck and call. I have more important things to do than to babysit your..."

He stopped, listening. The other Titans couldn't hear the other side of the conversation, but they knew who he was talking to, even Spider-Man. He was talking to Bruce Wayne, his former trainer, instructor, friend... and Batman.

"You want who?"

The note of shock in Robin's voice made the others listen in harder. He didn't seem to notice.

"I dunno, I'll ask him, but I can't promise anything. He will? Oh, that's good. He wouldn't do that for free."

"Do what?" Cyborg asked BB. He shrugged.

"Okay, but you'll have to brief him in person. Alright, Robin out."

He closed the com, looking thoughtful.

"So, what's up with Bats?" BB asked. "What did he want?"

"He wanted me to serve as a substitute teacher for his son, Damian's, kindergarten class."

"He what?!"

All of the Titans burst out laughing. Starfire looked puzzled.

"What is this garden of kinder?" she asked.

"It's a group of little kids who mess around and are taught all sorts of stuff they don't understand," Spider-Man explained around sobs of laughter. "Oh, boy, Robin, I'm glad you told him where to shove that offer."

"Um, actually..." Robin said, scratching the back of his head. "I refused, but he wanted another Titan to do it."

"Oh yeah?" Cyborg hooted. "Who? Raven?"

BB and Cyborg collapsed in fits of hysterics. Raven narrowed her eyes at them, but Spidey put his hands on her shoulders.

"Now Raven, remember what we talked about," he said soothingly. "You can't just blast them just because of a lame joke."

"Can't I?"

"No, I bet it was Starfire!" BB said, getting to his feet. "Yeah, she's real good with kids!"

"How can she teach 'em when she doesn't know half the stuff herself?!" Cyborg asked, gasping for breath.

Robin waited till they had all quieted down. Then he spoke, barely controlling his voice from his own laughter.

"Actually, what I was going to say was..." he said, "Cyborg."

Everyone became deathly silent.

"What?" Cyborg asked, his voice low.

"He wants you to be a substitute kindergarten teacher. Apparently, Bane has resurfaced, and Batman thinks he's going after the kids of all of the rich business men in Gotham. So... apart from teaching the kids, you'll have to protect them."

Still silence.

"What..." Cyborg said, his voice rising, "the... fu-!"

"Excellent idea!" Spider-Man said, getting to his feet and pushing Cyborg out of the door. "I'll just give him a pep talk."

They waited. Raven counted out loud.

"Five..." she said, "four... three... two... one."

From behind the door, they heard _"I'M GONNA HAVE TO DO WHAT?!"_


	2. Chapter II: ParentTeacher Meeting

**Chapter II**

**Parent-Teacher Meeting**

Cyborg fiddled with his tie as he sat down on a couch in Bruce Wayne's deluxe skyscraper apartment. Robin had come too, and for that, Cyborg was grateful.

Alfred, Wayne's butler, walked into the room.

"Ah, Master Grayson," he said, his voice cordial. "Wonderful to see you, sir."

"Good to see you too, Alfred," Robin said, a smile appearing on his face. "Is Bruce in?"

"Yes sir, he's coming right now."

Cyborg sensed movement with his scanners outside the window. The next moment, Bruce Wayne had entered.

He was tall, well-built, and handsome, and Cyborg didn't understand why anyone couldn't figure out he was Batman. But then, when you sound like you've got throat cancer when you're a superhero, it must be easy... not.

"Bats," Cyborg said, nodding, trying to be cool, when all he felt like doing was running away as far as he could. Robin also nodded.

"Hello, Mister Stone," Wayne said, coming over to him and shaking his hand. Cyborg felt the grasp even through his molybdenum fingers. "I'm glad you could be here. And you, Dick."

"So, you want me to be your son's babysitter," Cyborg said, getting down to it.

"Not babysitter," Wayne said, sitting down on a chair opposite Cyborg. "I want you to be the teacher for his kindergarten class. He's not the only one in danger."

"How do you know these kids are in danger?" Robin asked. Wayne looked at him.

"Need-to-know, Dick. And you don't."

"And the guy who's after them is Bane?" Cyborg asked. "Never met the guy."

"He's scum," Wayne said, "but he knows what he's doing, for the most part. Do not underestimate him."

"And this will take me away from my duties as a Titan?" Cyborg asked, wishing to God he could just walk away.

"You will be recompensed," Wayne said. "As I understand it, that cyborg body of yours isn't immortal. You need to keep it in perfect condition, and that costs money. I will pay you upwards of five million dollars to teach and protect the kids. I don't ask that you go after Bane, only that you make sure those kids are safe."

Cyborg stopped listening after the number 5,000,000 came into the equation. It was true, his body did need constant up-keep, and it wasn't cheap. He could do with five million.

But Robin was unimpressed.

"Fifty million," he stated flatly. "To compensate for his loss as a Titan during this time."

Cyborg almost wanted to strangle Robin, but Wayne nodded.

"That is true," he said. "And God knows you can't do without Cyborg, even with your new addition."

Cyborg almost fainted. Fifty million dollars?!

"Okay, I'll do it," he said, hoping he didn't sound too eager. "When do I start?"

* * *

The criminal known as Bane looked through his binoculars at Bruce Wayne, Victor Stone, and Dick Grayson sitting in Wayne's living room. He zoomed in on Cyborg.

_So that's who they are sending to protect Gotham's children? He is barely a man himself. Probably more brawn than brain, but then again, I can't complain of that too much..._

His chest still pained him occasionally from being hit by the Bat-Pod. No one but he had known how he had survived that. He wanted it kept that way.

_This could be fortuitous. With any luck, I'll have those children and have "Cyborg" crying uncle..._

He pulled out his communicator, calling the lieutenants of his gang.

"I want a tail on Cyborg at all times. And see what you can discover of the Teen Titan's new addition..."

For this intrigued him. He wanted to know more about any threat that might follow Cyborg, and while he knew Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, and Raven fairly well from reports, this "Spider-Man" was a new force.


	3. Chapter III: Back To School

**Chapter III**

**Back To School**

Raven hummed under her breath as she walked the corridors of Titans' Tower. It took her a while to realize that she was humming, more so that she was humming Bring Me To Life by Evanescence. She began to sing the words, still under her breath.

"_Breathe into me and make me real, bring me..._"

"_... to life_."

Raven jumped. Peter was leaning against the wall in front of her, upside down, wearing his costume sans mask.

"Peter!" she said reproachfully, regaining her composure. "What are you doing there?"

"Stalking my girlfriend," he said, flipping down to stand in front of her. He landed very close. "I have nothing better to do now that Cyborg's not here."

"Oh, so I'm your last option?" she asked him. He grinned.

"Nope," he said. "Shopping with Starfire. That's my last option. You come in a close second with Pie-Eating Contests with Beast Boy."

"Glad to know I come after food," she grumbled, but her smile took the sting out of her words. "So, where did Cyborg go? Where is he supposed to teach again?"

"Gotham City Middle School for Higher Education," Peter reeled off. "Big name for little kids. Today's his first day there... poor man. I gave him his Last Rites."

* * *

It wasn't so bad, Cyborg thought. He kept repeating that to himself all the way until he walked into the classroom.

The lady escorting him to the kindergarten room was the first grade teacher, Sarah Simms. She was a nice lady, young, and always smiling. She hadn't even flinched when she had seen Cyborg's face.

_There are still nice people in the world. Gotta remember that._

And then he walked through the door, and saw a bunch of 6 year olds making a mess in the classroom.

_Actually, never mind. Screw you, Wayne._

He muttered the number, "fifty million" under his breath to regain his confidence. Miss Simms was already ringing a bell.

"Settle down, kids!" she called out. The kids more or less stopped what they were doing, looking at Miss Simms and Cyborg.

"Whoa..." a few of them breathed as they saw his face. He kept it impassive.

"Alright, kids, take your seats," she said. They all ambled into their chairs, still staring at Cyborg. One kid didn't. He seemed to avoid Cyborg's eye, short, dark haired, and the spitting image of Bruce Wayne.

_Must be Damian. Damn, he looks like his dad._

"Class, meet your substitute teacher while Mrs. Arbogast is away," Miss Simms said, gesturing to Cyborg. "Say, 'Hello, Mister Stone.'"

"Hello, Mr. Stone," they chanted. Cyborg gulped. Sarah nudged him. He cleared his throat.

"Hi, uh, kids," he said haltingly. "Uh, nice to, uh, meet y'all."

A few of the kids sniggered. They were clearly marking him down as "corruptible."

_Aw, hell._

* * *

It took a few moments, but then Cyborg was on his own. He looked around at the class. He cleared his throat again.

"Alright," he said, his voice even. "How about this... to get to know you all, how about each one of you come up here and tell me what your name is, what your, uh, favorite color is, and who your..." He paused here, "... uh, what your parents do."

One by one the children came up and gave their name, favorite color, and their parents' jobs. Cyborg felt his bewilderment increase with each child.

"My name's Mark, an' I like red, an' my mom's an accounan... uh, accountant..."

"James... blue... my grandpa raises me..."

"My name's Theresa, and my favorite color is green, and my dad runs a big internet company."

"I'm Kendall... magenta or orange... and my parent's don't work... they get money from a street on the wall..."

"Damian... black... my mom kills people."

Cyborg froze. He had been literally falling asleep, taking notes on a notepad. He hadn't even noticed Damian Wayne come up, but now he awoke with a start.

"You're mom what?" he said. The class giggled. He gave them a narrow-eyed look. "What did you say your mom does?"

"My mom kills people, an' my dad keeps them alive," he said under his breath. He was looking at the floor.

Cyborg saw Batman's identity risk coming out in the open, and then he could kiss goodbye the fifty million dollars.

"Uh, that sounds good," he said hastily. "Listen, hasn't your dad ever told you not to tell people that?" he added in a low tone.

Damian shook his head.

"Alfred keeps telling me to be discreet," he said. "What does discreet mean?"

Cyborg was beginning to feel drained. Was this how it was always gonna be?

* * *

It was recess. A glorious half-hour to himself. He slumped against the doorway, trying not to let the despair show on his face. He had no idea what he was doing.

_It's not like I can teach... I mean, I don't even know if they know 1 plus 1 is 2..._

"Are you alright?"

Cyborg yelped. A man was standing in front of the door, with a cleaning cart in front of him.

"Uh, yeah, sorry," Cyborg apologized. "Wait... are you...?"

"Blind?" the man finished. "Yep. Doesn't hinder me... much." He was wearing red sunglasses.

Cyborg looked at him more closely. He was hunched over, but not that old... mid thirties maybe. He had sandy colored hair, and a crooked smile that made Cyborg feel that he knew things no one else did.

"You're the new teacher, aren't you?" he asked him suddenly.

"Substitute teacher," Cyborg corrected. "A _temporary _appointment." The man nodded.

"I can tell you don't like it," he said. Cyborg looked confused.

"How? Is my tone that obvious?" he asked. The man chuckled.

"No," he said. "Your heartbeat is twice the speed it should normally go, although it's hard to tell with your cybernetic enhancements."

Cyborg's mind reeled.

"Wha... how...?"

"It's a special talent of mine," the man said, pushing his way into the classroom. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Stone."

"Wait!" Cyborg said, grabbing the man's arm. "What's your name?"

The man thought about his answer. For some reason, it reminded Cyborg of when the Titans first met Spider-Man.

"Call me Matthew," the man said at last.

* * *

Cyborg starts his job! And who is this mysterious blind janitor? Big fans will get it, and if you don't, you will. More clues will be revealed, until the end, where his full name and identity will be revealed. If you absolutely must say who you think it is, PM me and I'll let you know if you're right or not.


	4. Chapter IV: Patience Is A Virtue

**Chapter IV**

**Patience Is A Virtue**

There was construction going on in the building across the street from GothamCityMiddle School. The construction workers were busy making sure the work came up to standards required by the City's Safety Code.

At least, that was what the cover was. In fact, Bane and his group of medically enhanced super soldiers were merely setting up shop.

All of the men had been surgically enhanced to have super strength, super speed, and enhanced brain functions. Of course, Bane was still greater than all of these, but they were quite a force to be reckoned with.

_This will be glorious._

"Sir?"

His right hand man, Kowalski, came up to his perch.

"The Titan is leaving now."

"Let me see."

Bane focused his binoculars on the school's entrance. As the children and faculty were leaving, he could see the broad shoulders of Victor Stone. He seemed to sway back and forth, as if he were drunk.

"What the hell happened to him?"

* * *

"Guys, Cy's back!"

All of the Titans came out to greet Cyborg. They all froze at his appearance.

"Cyborg? What happened?"

His suit was ruffled, his shirt untucked, his tie undone. He looked like he had struggled through an army of Trigon's demons.

He walked past them all, collapsing onto the couch face first. They all stared at him. Finally, Beast Boy asked, "Had a good day?"

Cyborg moaned.

"I'll get some aspirin," Spidey said, reaching for the medicine cabinet. Starfire floated over to Cyborg.

"Did it go the okay?" she asked tentatively. He moaned again.

"I think that was a no," Raven said. Robin shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Cyborg," he said. "I shouldn't have let Bruce walk all over you like that."

"Yeah, sure would hate to see you sell yourself for fifty million dollars," Beast Boy pointed out. "Oh, wait... you did."

"Even more disappointing to see you lose all that money," Spidey said, handing him the bottle and a glass of water. "Ah, well... you can do without it."

Cyborg rolled over. His normal eye was closed. He took the bottle and downed it, then drank the water. And then his eye opened wide.

"I've got an idea," he said, standing up suddenly, scaring the others. "This is a battle I can't win on my own. I gotta do something else..."

He turned to the others, a manic gleam in his eye.

"I need... assistant teachers."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Then they all burst out laughing.

"Assistant teachers?!" Beast Boy yelled. "Us!? Ha!"

"Wow, those kids really did a number on you," Spidey said, grinning broadly.

"No, I'm serious. And my first assistant will be..."

He turned to Raven.

"... you."

Everyone became deathly silent again. Spidey made choking noises.

"Sorry, just choking on my own sarcasm," he said, shaking his head. "Do you have a death wish?"

"Cyborg..." Raven said slowly. "I know you need help, but I don't think this is a good-,"

"Oh yeah it is!" Cyborg said, slightly hysterical. "Get ready, Miss Raven, 'cause your special lessen begins tomorrow!"

And he walked out of the living room, tripping on his way out. They all stood there, stunned. Then Beast Boy picked up the empty aspirin bottle.

"Are you sure these are aspirin?" he asked Spidey. He shrugged.

"I think he does need our help," Robin said. "But maybe he is a little..."

"Nuts?" Raven asked.

* * *

Cyborg sank onto his bed, feeling energized. He knew how to teach those kids. Give them other people, superheroes to see, and he could walk them through how even though these people have powers, they were still just people like them.

_'Cuz I can't teach math, English, or science... but I can teach human values._

He just needed a little patience.


	5. Chapter V: Life Lessens With Miss Raven

**Chapter V**

**Life Lessens With Miss Raven(and co.)**

Raven nervously tugged at the sweater she was wearing. She had opted for dark, modest clothing to appear in front of these children, but she felt like an idiot. Peter had told her that she looked great, but he was supposed to say that. Starfire had said "Glorious!" but then, she always said that. Beast Boy and Robin's reactions were more of a compass. Raised eyebrows and stifled laughter. Great friends.

So now here she was, standing in front of the kindergarten class, waiting for them to settle down.

* * *

Cyborg straightened his tie, sitting next to Miss Simms. She had wanted to see how "Miss Raven" was going to teach the class. Cyborg had called it "important life lessens."

"So, does Miss Raven have any teaching experience?" Sarah asked him. He cleared his throat.

"Um, well..." he said, thinking hard. "She has about as much as me..."

"As much as _I_," Sarah corrected. Cyborg blinked.

"Actually, she is a pretty good babysitter," he admitted. "As long as you have a psychotic gorilla attacking people."

Sarah wasn't sure if he was joking or not. She settled on turning her attention to Raven.

Raven was standing in front of the class, waiting for them to settle down. As soon as they did, Cyborg stood up.

"Class, this is Miss Raven," he said, trying and failing to keep a grin off his face. "She's here to give you important life lessens."

He applauded, as did the rest of the class. Raven gave him a smile that told him that she was seriously tempted to blast him into oblivion.

Cyborg had already survived one day of kindergarten. There was nothing he was afraid of.

Raven cleared her throat.

"Uh, hello kids," she said, her voice a semi-tone higher than normal. "Uh, don't do drugs, don't experiment with sex, and don't kill anyone."

Cyborg choked. Sarah's eyebrows went up. The kids had gone deathly silent. Raven looked confused.

"Uh, that's it," she said. "Oh, wait... don't talk to strangers. Okay, that's it."

There was still silence. Then Cyborg, who should have received an award for the best-kept straight face under pressure, addressed the class.

"Thank you, Miss Raven," he said. "Class, do you have any questions for Miss Raven?"

Almost all of the class raised their hands.

"Miss Raven, what's drugs?"

"Uh, you don't know what...?"

"Miss Raven, what's sex?"

"Listen, I don't think..."

"Miss Raven, why can't we kill anyone?"

Raven's hands started glowing. Cyborg heard warning bells in his head.

"Because you'll go to jail," she said, her teeth clenched. "And then you'll spend the rest of your life sitting in a cell next to the Joker. You don't want that, believe me."

Cyborg could have died. He barely glanced at Damian, whose face had gone white.

"Uh, Raven," Cyborg whispered in her ear, "Bruce Wayne's kid is sitting right over there. He knows who his father is."

Raven's eyes, which had begun to glow, dimmed. She looked ashamed.

"Sorry," she whispered back, but one kid had raised her hand. "Yes?"

"Miss, Mr. Stone said that you c'n help people feel better," she said timidly. "Just by touchin' them. C'n you?"

"Uh, yeah, I can draw pain away from people into myself," she said, confused. "Why?"

"C'n you help me feel better?" the girl said quietly. Cyborg knew who was speaking. Lindy Tales, daughter of one of the most influential business men in Gotham, who unfortunately had no time to raise his only daughter. The poor girl struggled with bipolar behavior, and instead of helping her, Tales had her shunted from one school to another. "C'n you make me normal?"

"Oh," Raven breathed. "I'm sorry. I can't do that. I can only draw physical pain into me." Cyborg cleared his throat.

"That's right," he said, talking to the class. "Miss Raven can't help you. Because there are certain things that only you can change. Don't be afraid to ask for help... but the only thing that you have complete control over is yourself. And you, all of you, can find the courage to change yourself. To take control of your own life."

* * *

"That's a little deep for kindergarten kids, isn't it?"

"Hey, I'm not the one who was going to start sex ed..."

Raven was getting ready to leave, but Cyborg had to stay to grade some papers. Also, he wanted to speak to that janitor, Matthew again.

Raven paused before putting her cloak on. She looked at Cyborg with a worried eye.

"Are you sure you can do this?" she asked. "I mean, today wasn't so bad, but..."

"I have to do this," Cyborg said. "I need the money. And besides, I want to help these kids. I don't know how to explain it, but these kids are almost neglected by their parents. Some aren't, but then there are those like Wayne who are busy keeping the city safe. I can help these kids."

"I hope so," Raven said, teleporting away. Cyborg sighed, then turned to see Matthew walking down the hallway, pushing his cleaning cart in front him.

"Hey, Matthew," he said as greeting. "I wanna talk to you."

"Sure, Victor," Matthew said, stopping the cart, looking up at him with those red sunglasses. "What's on your mind?"

"How can you see?" Cyborg said. "You're... well, you're blind. But you know where you're going." Matthew chuckled.

"I can hear things," he said. "Better than most people. It's not so strange. I can also smell better than a lot of folks."

"Were you... born like that?"

"No. There was an accident. Some chemicals... anyway, I was a lawyer for a while. I didn't have to worry about going all over the place, but I guess I have to now."

Cyborg shook his head.

"There's something about you... something familiar. Have we met before?"

"Not as far as I know," Matthew said. "I would have remembered you." Cyborg snorted.

"Yeah, I reckon so," he said. Matthew looked straight into his eyes... but he couldn't, he was blind...

"I heard you talk to those children," he said. "That was very good. Courage is certainly important."

"Yeah, it is," Cyborg said, looking at his hands for a minute. "It's just... there's a lot of things you have to face everyday. I want those kids to be able to face those things with a grin on their face."

"Because you have to face those things?" Matthew asked. "You have to wake up every morning and look at yourself in the mirror and see yourself. You still don't like what you are."

Cyborg looked at Matthew.

"You're very perceptive."

"The weeks after I was blinded were the worst," he said. "But then I discovered my new abilities, and things got better. You think you've lost your humanity. I tell you... I can hear your heartbeat. It's the strongest thing about you."

"It's your courage."

Matthew turned and walked away. Cyborg stared after him, stunned.

* * *

Two construction workers were hanging out by the back entrance of GC Middle School. They weren't supposed to be there.

They were waiting for the new kindergarten teacher, Victor Stone. What they found was quite different.

A man, hunchbacked and decrepit looking, came out of the door, walking slowly, feeling his way along with a stick. He was clearly blind. The workers froze, waiting for him to pass. But he stopped, cocking his head to one side.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" he asked, swiveling his head to face them. Something in the way his mouth curled made one of the workers shudder.

"Just keep moving," the other said, "we're waiting for a friend of ours."

"Hmm..." the blind man said. "I see. Well, not really. I wasn't aware you boys had friends. Just targets."

With that last sentence, they knew that he was a threat. He knew too much, though how he knew they had no clue. There was only one response to this, however.

They both started forward, hands reaching for their stun batons.

The blind man smiled.

Moving faster than lightning, he sprang up, grabbing their wrists as he flipped over them, and forced the edge of the stun batons into the men's chests. He heard the crack as one of the men's wrist broke.

He let go quickly, and heard the screams of pain as they were shocked by their own weapons. He could hear the hiss of voltage being pumped into their bodies.

And then he heard the thud as they hit the ground, unconscious.

The blind man smiled again.

"Amateurs," he said, standing up tall for a brief moment, before hunching over again, reaching for his stick.

* * *

Damian Wayne couldn't believe what he had just seen. He had seen his father perform feats of courage like that, but he would never have expected it from the blind janitor, Matthew.

But the two men... they scared Damian. He knew who sent them. He had to tell someone...

He would tell Mr. Stone. Tomorrow.

* * *

Don't forget to check out my profile page to see upcoming Ultimate Teen Titans stories!


	6. Chapter VI: PE With Coach Logan

****Hey! What the hell happened to my fan base?! I finished Stroke of Death, I update this story up the wazoo(I still don't know what that is) and no response! I'd understand if it trickled away, but all of you?! It's kinda disconcerting. Is it a vacation and I forgot to take it? Actually, I'd probably do that... never mind, here's the next chapter.

**Chapter VI**

**Physical Education With Mr. Logan**

"Today is Thursday."

"Uh-huh."

"And you know what that means?"

"If it means what I think it does..."

Cyborg drew in a deep breath.

"STANKBALL!" he yelled in Beast Boy's face. "Today is your turn, Coach Logan!"

* * *

Beast Boy blew his whistle hard. All of the kids covered their ears as the shrill blast emanated through the room.

"Alright, you little pea brains!" he said. "Listen up! My name is Coach Logan, and I'm here to teach you munchkins the rules of that fine sport, Stankball!"

Cyborg held up the ball of dirty socks and underwear. All of the girls recoiled, and all of the boys went "Cool!"

They were standing out in the football field, some blinking in the sun, and others resigned to the P.E. that was mandatory. Stankball, however, was extracurricular.

"Okay, ground rules! Number one! Make note of all of the rules! Number two! Don't forget rule number one! Number three! There are no rules, making rule one and two void!"

"Teams!" he shouted as the kids struggled to make sense of what he had just said. "Divide evenly into two groups!"

They did so, standing across from each other. Cyborg cleared his throat.

"Basically, this is soccer, football, baseball, and basketball combined," he clarified. "Oh yeah, and water polo."

He heard laughter, and saw Sarah Simms standing on the edge of the field with Matthew. They had come out to see, or in Matthew's case to hear the game.

Cyborg knew he was skating the line between teaching and getting fired, but he had become obsessed with one thing: making Damian Wayne laugh. Or even smile. He did not want Damian becoming his father, even if he looked like him.

He waved at Sarah and Matthew, both of whom waved back. And Cyborg had to wonder again, how did Matthew know he had waved at him?

"Alright, let the game commence!"

Cyborg threw the ball high in the air, and knocked it far to the other team.

* * *

Anyone watching the game would have no idea what they were trying to accomplish. It seemed that they were hitting the ball back and forth, trying to score, but not knowing how.

Anyone with eyes and common sense would just know that this was kids having fun.

* * *

Cyborg laughed loudly, lying on the grass, several of the kids sprawled over him, having successfully tackled him to get the ball. Now that they had it, they had no clue what to do with it, but they couldn't move anyway for laughing so hard.

Beast Boy pretended to be furious.

"What was that?!" he bellowed at Cyborg. "That was worst performance I've ever seen in my long career coaching Stankball!"

Cyborg considered taking a video with his bionic eye to commemorate this moment, but then decided against it. This was something you just had to be there to appreciate.

Sarah was taking pictures on her phone, though, a wide smile on her face. Matthew leaned against his stick, grinning broadly too. Cyborg was struck with a sudden inspiration.

"Hey, Matthew!" he called. "Help me out, will ya?"

Everyone looked at him, astonished that he would ask a blind man to play ball. Matthew, however, smiled even more broadly.

"Of course," he said, rolling up his sleeves. He dropped his stick, and walked over to the group, unaided, and helped Cyborg to his feet. "Let's play some ball, eh?"

And to the shock of all, Matthew bowled the ball some twenty feet in the direction of the other team, specifically at Beast Boy. His eyes widened, and he screamed, but it was too late.

The ball hit him and exploded. This signaled the end of the game as the loser was drenched in the horrible smell and had bits of underwear covering him. Cyborg's jaw dropped, but he stood up, grabbing Matthew's hand and thrust it high in the air.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" he called out. "We have a winner!"

Beast Boy lay prone on the ground. He raised a weak hand in the air to protest, but dropped it again after a second.

Matthew was laughing. And, to Cyborg's delight, so was Damian.

* * *

Bane snarled at the two henchmen who had failed to attack Victor Stone. They were standing in front of him now, hanging their heads in shame.

He wished they could kill them. He almost did, but he couldn't... they were a very few number of super soldiers. They had been surprised.

By a blind man. He wanted to know more about this "Matthew."

"Tomorrow," he said slowly. "Tomorrow, we move forward with the next phase. Forget Stone, now."

"Tomorrow we take the school. And we kill anyone in our way."

"Merely professional, of course. Nothing personal. Make sure it's done."

* * *

This was a fun chapter to write. I hope it brings a smile to your face as you recall your own kindergarten days. I was stealing liberally from my memories. But then, it's not stealing...? But then Bane has to ruin it all! Damn you, Tom Hardy! (Never mind, you are awesome.)


	7. Chapter VII: A Father's Rage

**Chapter VII**

**A Father's Rage**

Batman dropped on top of the gang member that had just shot at him.

"You know, at this point, most folks beg me for leniency," he snarled in his harsh voice. "But I can see you need a little more persuasion."

He linked his hands together and brought them both down on the man's head. He fell without a yell.

Batman felt a glancing blow off of his armor, and turned to take down another gun-toting thug. A man in a suit kept pointing at Batman, egging on the rest of the gang.

He jumped, knocking out the final of the gang with gas. He grabbed the leader and leapt clear of the fog.

"Where's Bane?!" he bellowed in the man's face. He shook with fear. Sweat beaded his upper lip and forehead. He had a rat-like face, one of the more stereotypical gangster bosses in town.

"I... I don't know," he stammered. "I thought he was dead..."

"Yeah, so's Superman," Batman hissed. "He's alive, and you know something about it!"

"I swear, I have no clue!" he said. "I didn't even remember Bane till you mentioned him just now!"

Batman swung him around, throwing him against the opposite wall. Before he could recover, Batman had jumped on him again, holding the points of his gauntlet blades against the man's throat.

"Where is he?!" he shouted. "Tell me!"

"Or what?"

The new voice, feminine and cool, came from behind Batman. He swung around, still clutching the man's shirt.

Talia Al Ghul came walking up behind Batman, dressed in a form-fitting black suit. She stopped, her hands on her hips.

"Or what?" she repeated. "You kill him?"

"I don't kill people," Batman responded, turning back to the man, "but I can make living one helluva nightmare."

The gangster closed his eyes. Batman shook him forcefully.

"Do I have to start breaking things?!" he asked loudly. "Where's Bane!?"

"He doesn't know," Talia said contemptuously. "Besides, maybe if you actually took some time to listen to your own son, you'd find out."

Batman froze.

"What?" he said. Talia gave a pointed look at the gangster, who had suddenly taken a keen interest in the conversation. Batman swung a punch, knocking the fool out.

"We agreed Damian would live with you," Talia went on. "Because of my father. But that means you actually have to raise him, and not hand him off to Alfred!"

Batman straightened up.

"What do you mean?" Batman asked, losing his rasp for a minute. "About Damian? Does he know where Bane is?"

"He saw some of Bane's supermen try to attack a blind man," Talia said. Batman snorted.

"And you know this how?" he said.

"Because I actually take the time to get to know my son," was the scathing reply. "And then I talked to the blind man."

"He survived?" Batman said incredulously. "I'd have thought Bane's men would have torn him apart."

Without warning, Batman felt arms wrapping around his neck from behind. He felt pressure apply, and he was

forced to his knees.

"Well, this blind guy can kick your ass," a voice hissed in his ear. "So I'd take a moment to thank me."

Batman struggled, but the man had let him go. Batman jumped to his feet, swinging around.

A man, as tall as he was, stood before him. He was dressed in a red leather costume, with a red cowl much like the one Batman wore except without the bat ears. Instead, there were horns, and the eyes were covered. Two large Ds were stamped on the chest.

"Who the hell are you?" Batman asked, looking him up and down, noting his belt and the billy-clubs strapped to it.

"Ironic you should ask that," the man said, smiling mirthlessly. "My name's Daredevil. And I've been keeping an eye on your son."

"I never asked you to," Batman said. Talia cleared her throat.

"No," she said. "I did. Daredevil is... not from around here." Daredevil's mirthless smile widened. "But we can trust him."

"I don't," Batman said, not liking the way he had snuck up on him. "You aren't really blind, are you?"

"Yes I am," Daredevil replied. "My powers are my own. And we need to move fast if we're to save your son."

"How fast are we talking?" Batman said, decided for the moment to trust Talia, if not Daredevil.

"Bane and his men are going to take over the school tomorrow," Daredevil said. "Don't ask me how I know... I just heard it."

"Tomorrow," Batman repeated. "Dammit. The Justice League are still gone on that mission of Green Lantern's."

"We don't need the Justice League," Talia said at this point. "We have you, me, Daredevil, and Cyborg."

"Cyborg," Batman said, remembering the young man he was paying to protect his son. "Can we count on the rest of the Teen Titans?"

"If Cyborg's there, so will they be," Daredevil said. "He's had them come in to teach the class special lessens."

"Yes, like the birds and the bees," Talia said, narrowing her eyes. "I really want to have a word with this 'Miss Raven...'"

Daredevil suddenly looked up. Batman's internal sensors went off a split second after.

They were surrounded by thugs. More of Bane's extensions. The three superheroes turned, back to back to back, ready to face the new threat.

As Talia used her deadly stiletto heels to effect, Batman kept glancing at Daredevil. He didn't seem to work his way around rather than feel his way. He was clearly blind, but he knew where he was going.

His billy-clubs were being swung around with abandon, knocking out thugs left and right. He had done this before, but a certain sadness was still hanging around his face.

Batman hoped he could count on him tomorrow. And Bane had better watch out.

Bruce Wayne was mad as hell.

* * *

Actually, I think this is the coolest chapter to date. Seriously. BTW, all of the Batman characters are from the Nolanverse. So, Christian Bale/Dark Knight, Marion Cotillard/Talia Al Ghul, and Tom Hardy/Bane. And just pretend that Tom Cruise plays Daredevil.


	8. Chapter VIII:Inspiration With Mr Parker

**Chapter VIII**

**Inspirational Class With Mr. Parker**

"Class, this is Mr. Parker. Say hi."

"Hi, Mr. Parker."

Peter looked around at the class. Cyborg could tell he was uncomfortable, but he knew he'd be fine. After all, if Raven could do it, Spidey could.

"Hi kids," he said, tugging at his collar. "Um, I'm here today to teach you guys... about responsibility."

He began to walk up and down the aisles of desks.

"I had an uncle," he said. "Uncle Ben. He and my Aunt May were the two people who raised me after my parents died. They were full of the great things in life, joy, humor... and responsibility."

"Y'see, we were poor. I don't mean poverty-stricken, we just didn't have a lot of money."

"One day, I got... well, I got this... thing. These abilities. I could make money from this thing I had. I was determined to help my family out and to let the rest of the world disappear up it's own trash can."

"Well, my uncle told me this thing, this saying... he told me that my father held it pretty close. _'With great power comes great responsibility.'_"

Peter paused, apparently overcome with emotion for a second. Cyborg was listening intently, as were all of the children. He had never heard Peter talk of his former life like this.

"Shortly after that, my uncle was killed. Shot, by a guy I had seen earlier that day. A man I could have stopped with my power, but I just let him get away. I was foolish... so foolish. And he paid the price. My uncle."

Again, Peter paused. Cyborg felt deep sympathy for him. His own father, whom he had hated for most of his life, had also died, shortly after he and Cyborg had reconciled.

"So I was determined never to let my power go to waste. I began to use it with responsibility."

"You may be asking yourself, why is he telling me this? Why does he think I'll care? Well, you should care. Because, as one of my good friends told me, we all have powers. What do you do..." he asked one of the kids, "do you play sports?"

The kid nodded.

"Are you good?"

Again the kid nodded. "But not at Stankball."

The class tittered with giggles.

"Well, your ability to play sports good is your power," Peter went on. "You have power... all of you. Some of you perhaps don't know what your power is quite yet. But you will. And when you learn it, I hope you will remember me... and Uncle Ben. Great power... great responsibility."

Cyborg glanced at the door. Through the window he saw, to his astonishment, Matthew. He was staring into the glass, a look of shock on his face. He looked like he had seen a ghost... once again, he was blind, Cyborg reminded himself.

He followed his eyeline. Matthew was staring at Peter.

* * *

Cyborg looked around for Peter. He had gone to the bathroom, he had said, but Cyborg was tracking him on the roof.

He went up. There he found Peter, fully dressed in his Spider-Man suit, crouched over, his shoulders shaking.

"Spidey?" Cyborg asked, tentatively walking up to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

He could now hear sobs, quiet pleas for some inner pain to end. When he finally spoke, Peter's voice was broken and cracked.

"Uncle Ben... oh, god... that was only half the story..."

"About how he died?" Cyborg guessed. Peter nodded.

"He told me that I was going to do great things... and that it would come with great responsibility... and then he was killed..."

"We all miss family," Cyborg said consolingly, but Peter shook his head.

"No, you don't get it," he said, hiccupping slightly. "After he told me that... I was angry... he had found me at a friend's house... I was ashamed and mad... I swore at him and ran away... it was the last thing I ever said to him."

Cyborg froze, unsure of what to say.

"That's hard," he said at last. "But you weren't mad at him, were you?" Spidey shook his head. "You were angry at yourself. And, being the smart man he was, your uncle knew that."

Peter looked up at Cyborg.

"Unlike you, I actually hated my dad. He was the one who turned me into this thing. And I hated him for it. But then I found out he was dying. We had a few months of just getting to know each other. I couldn't bring myself to hate him when I found out that he was sick. I hated myself for a while, but then we spent some time together. Way too short... but better than nothing."

Peter was quiet. Then he stood up straight.

"Thanks, Cy," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Sorry I lost it... I just miss them, you know?"

"Of course," Cyborg said. "You wouldn't be human if you didn't."

Suddenly, Peter jerked his head up. Cyborg's internal sensors went off.

"Look out!"

Spider-Man hurled himself at Cyborg, pushing him out of the way of a RPG that exploded right where they had been standing.

"Bane!" Cyborg yelled. "We need to protect the kids!"

Now it wasn't the fifty million dollars that was on Cyborg's mind. It was all of those kids, particularly Damian who he saw.

They were his kids now. He was going to protect them at all costs.

* * *

And the climax begins to pick up! I saw Batman Begins again recently... god, what a great movie. But yeah, about Peter's breakdown... I was puzzled... out of all the things he regretted... wouldn't his last words to Uncle Ben(_"If my father was so smart, where the f**k is he?!"_) be part of that? But Bendis never said... and plus, you knew Peter was going to breakdown. C'mon, he's not in his world! I completely forgot that he was still a human, and he misses his family. But, he's got Raven... lucky bastard.


	9. Chapter IX: Kindergarten Knights

**Chapter IX**

**The Kindergarten Knights**

Cyborg charged down the staircase, Spider-Man on his heels. They pushed past the worried security guards.

"Mr. Stone!" one of them said. "The kindergarten class is still in their room. You didn't dismiss them yet!"

"Hell, no!" Cyborg responded. "Bane woulda blown up the bus!" The guard looked confused, but Cyborg didn't have time to deal with him.

"Call the others!" he barked to Spider-Man. He pulled out his communicator, but then shook his head.

"Comms are being jammed!" he said, leaping over a fallen cabinet. "I think your class is still the only one in the school."

"Then, come on!"

Together they charged through the halls, making their way to the classroom. When they arrived, they found all of the kids...

And two men, dressed in costumes, standing in front of them.

The two Titans didn't even look. They charged, yelling, trying to get the creeps away from the kids.

The two men were taken off guard. They were tackled, and viciously beaten before they cried "STOP!"

It was that voice that stopped Cyborg, that raspy harsh voice that said clearly _Batman._

It was that voice that stopped Spider-Man... a voice he hadn't heard in over a year.

They all got to their feet. Cyborg looked apologetic as Batman brushed off his cape. But Spider-Man was standing frozen, staring at the red clad vigilante in front of him.

"Dare... Daredevil?" he asked, his voiced hushed. Cyborg had to look twice before he realized that the man with the two Ds on his chest was really Matthew. His jaw dropped.

"Yo, man, you didn't tell me you were a superhero!" he said, but Matthew wasn't listening. He was looking down at Spider-Man, a mixture of incredulity and sorrow on his face.

"Hey, kid," he said. "Been a while. How's the family?"

They stood across from each other for what seemed like a millennia. Then, Spider-Man stepped forward and crushed Daredevil in a hug. Matthew patted Peter on the back.

"You... died," Peter said finally, stepping away. "I watched you die."

"And I guess you did too," Matthew said, placing a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Were you killed in the Ultimatum?"

"Nah, Norman Osborne," Spider-Man said, his voice choking. "Blew me up. Man... I can't believe this..."

Cyborg stared at the two of them. Now he realized why Matthew had seemed so familiar.

He had reminded Cyborg of Spider-Man. He was from the same universe.

"Okay, we can have a cozy little catch up later," Batman interrupted. "Bane's outside. He's set a perimeter around the school."

"So let's get these kids outta here!" Cyborg said, punching his fist in his hand. "He can't be that tough."

Batman just looked at him.

"Yes. He can."

"He's got a squadron of enhanced super soldiers," Daredevil explained. "Like Captain Americas," he said to Peter, "only they work for Bane."

"Holy crap," Spider-Man said. "How many?"

"Twelve," Batman said. "Can you call for the rest of the Titans?"

"Calls are being jammed," Spider-Man explained. "Besides, we took the T-Jet to get here. Titan's Tower is way on the West Coast."

"Maybe we can call the Titans East," Cyborg surmised, but then realized the problem of the comms. "If they see it on the news, they'll assume Batman has it under control."

"I do," Batman said harshly. But at this point, one of the kids had tugged on Cyborg's elbow.

"Mr. Stone?" she asked. "What's going on?"

"Don't worry about it," Cyborg said reassuringly, getting down on one knee. "But you have to be ready to do exactly what I say, alright? If I say run, you run. All of you. Okay?"

The whole class nodded silently. They may be kids, but they weren't dumb. They knew something was wrong.

Suddenly, a voice boomed out from beyond the windows. They heard the voice of Bane loud and clear.

_"I can see that you have taken preventative measures against me,"_ he said. _"Very commendable. But completely foolish. You see, I have a small army of super soldiers that are making their way through the school building as we speak. Or rather, as I speak. Now, I have no problem detonating the school totally and wiping out all of you. But I do need a little leverage. A little... insurance. So, I will allow you all a half hour to decide... give me the class, or watch them die alongside you."_

* * *

Two of Bane's super soldiers made their way swiftly through the halls. They kicked down doors, pointing with their M16s inside, shouting "Clear!" when there was no one there.

So intent were they that they never looked up. Not until Spider-Man had dropped down from the ceiling and taken them out.

He pulled out his com. Long range calls were being jammed, but the short wave worked just fine.

"Two down," he said. "Cy? How's the chemistry lab?"

_"Another two down here," _Cyborg said. _"Matt, how ya doing?"_

_ "Make that eight," _Daredevil said. _"There were two of them in the women's bathroom. Perverts."_

Peter's mind still reeled over the appearance of Daredevil. Matthew Murdock, attorney-at-law, had died during the Ultimatum. So had Wolverine.

_Hey, wait a minute. If I died and came here, and Daredevil died and came here, did Logan? Maybe? And in that case..._

_ Do all who die in our universe come here? And if so..._

_ Is Uncle Ben alive?_

Peter suddenly felt numb. His train of thought had brought his run to a halt. He stood there, hand pressed to his face, stunned by the implications of this thought.

He stood still for too long. One of the super soldiers whom they had not taken down crept up behind him, and when he finally registered his spider-sense going off, it was too late.

* * *

"Spider-Man? _Spider-Man?_ Come in!"

Cyborg hit is arm communicator. Nothing happened.

"Where is he?" Daredevil said. "He should have been here two minutes ago."

"He might have been ambushed," Batman reasoned.

"Dammit," Daredevil swore. Cyborg pointed a finger at him.

"Don't swear in front of the kids," he said. Matthew looked at him. Now that Cyborg fully understood his powers, his heightened senses, he knew that he was seeing an echo of Cyborg. "I dunno, maybe he lost it or something..."

A transmission came through at last. Cyborg looked with relief at the screen, but then gasped as the bald head and savage mask of Bane filled the screen.

_"Missing someone?"_

* * *

_Le Gasp! _Spider-Man's been captured! What will our heroes do?! To be continued in the final epic installment of **KINDERGARTEN TITAN**!


	10. Chapter X: The End Of The Day

****Alrighty then! Final chapter! And some announcements...  
I'm not going to be updating every single day. From now on, every episode will be released as full stories, every week or so(depending on how long it takes me to write them). I can't keep up with this daily updating. So, from now on, new stories will be full stories.

**Chapter X**

**The End Of The Day**

Spider-Man groaned. He shook his head, trying to clear it, but that only made it worse.

He went to rub it, but then he realized that he was chained up in a chair. He looked up.

"Headache?" asked the man in the parka and mask. "That will happen when you have a concussion."

"I don't have a concussion," Peter said feebly. "I'm stronger than that."

"Good for you," Bane said. "Unfortunately, that means that you get to see what happens next."

Bane walked over to a wall, where there were guns, rifles, shotguns, and pistols on racks. He chose some of the choicest weapons, strapping them to his body.

"If I felt in a humorous mood, I'd probably make some speech about how I have completely defeated you," he said, in a bored voice. "But things have not been going very well recently, so I'll just settle for killing you in front of your friends."

Bane raised the pistol up to Peter's head, and without another word, fired.

* * *

"NO!"

Cyborg wasn't sure who yelled, he or Daredevil. All they saw was the gun flash and then the transmission went out.

Cyborg felt rage course through his body. Spider-Man couldn't be dead... Bane was going to pay...

"We're going after him!" he said angrily, blinking back tears. Batman grabbed his shoulder.

"And let the last four of his men take the class?" he said. "Think! Spider-Man may not be dead."

Daredevil's face had gone white. He didn't say anything.

But at that moment, the doors burst open. All twelve of Bane's men charged through. The final four must have revived their comrades.

"Cyborg, take the kids and go!" Matthew said, coming alive. He and Batman began to fight the men.

Cyborg knew his duty. He turned to the kids, shooting a hole in the wall to the other corridor.

"GO!" he yelled. They went, completely silent. It unnerved Cyborg slightly, but they followed his commands without question.

_They trust me. Holy crap... I hope I can live up to that trust. I hope they live._

Ten minutes of their precious half hour was gone. Cyborg concentrated on getting the kids to the T-Jet, to get them on autopilot out of there.

But when they got to the place where the T-Jet had been parked, Cyborg's heart plummeted. The plane had been destroyed. He hadn't even heard the explosion that had demolished his last hope.

"Okay, kids, listen," he said, looking down at them all. "We're gonna have to run, and run fast."

The swiftest kids led, while Cyborg picked up a few of the slower ones. They ran for the football field.

Of course, who would bar their way but Bane?

"Bane!" Cyborg shouted, dropping the kids he was carrying and charging up his sonic canon. "I'm gonna make you pay!"

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Bane replied, pulling out a rifle, pointing it not at Cyborg, but at the group of kids. "Of course, I don't think you're faster than a .50 caliber bullet, are you?"

Cyborg froze, his canon whining as it prepared to fire. No... he couldn't risk it.

He lowered his arm.

"Good," Bane said. "Now I want you to-,"

He stopped speaking as, quite suddenly, a web shot hit his face. Blinded, he didn't see the punching glove arrow that hit him in the face an instant later.

Cyborg breathed. He turned slowly, not daring to hope...

There stood Peter, holding his arm which bled under his fingers. Around him stood the Titans East, Bumblebee, Aqualad, Mas Y Menos, and Speedy, whose bow was strung with another arrow.

"I just want to know if that dude sleeps with that mask," Spidey said, sounding like he was gritting his teeth. "'Cuz it stinks. Even from five feet away."

"Peter?" Cyborg said, walking forward. "You're alive?!"

"Yeah, well, you didn't tell me about Hawkeye here," Spidey said, gesturing to Speedy. "Shot the bullet out of midair. Course, it didn't stop the bullet, but hey... better than my head."

"Hey Sparky," Bumblebee said, smiling at Cyborg. He looked around at the Titans, a massive feeling of relief spreading across his entire body. But then his face fell.

"What about Bane's bomb?" he asked. Mas held up a broken transmitter.

"Si, el hombre no tiene ninguna bomba ahora!" he said, while his brother high-fived him. Cyborg now felt safe.

Well, relatively.

"There's still his men," he said. "We need to get back to Bats and Matthew, now!"

"Titans, GO!"

* * *

Daredevil slammed the head of one of the terrorists against the wall. He grunted, but seemed unharmed.

"What does it take..." Daredevil said through gritted teeth, swinging the man around again, "... to take one of you guys down? How was it so easy before?"

"We were playing you," the man replied, bringing his side arm up under Daredevil's chin. "We had expected Batman alone, but you'll die just as easily."

Before he could fire and end Daredevil's life, a webline had appeared on the barrel. It yanked the gun away from Daredevil's face. He turned in astonishment, sensing Spider-Man, Cyborg, and five other teenagers he didn't know.

"Hope you left some for us," Parker said, jumping onto the man, kicking him away from Daredevil. "Y'know, slap a shield on one of these guys, we'd have our own Captain America."

"Yeah, except they aren't very patriotic," Daredevil replied, putting aside his surprise at Spider-Man's survival. But he had to say something. "Glad to see you lived."

"Almost didn't," Peter said, webbing another man to the ceiling. "Thank God for the Titans East here."

* * *

They were being overrun. Even with the reinforcements of the new Titans, the terrorists were still gaining the upper hand.

Cyborg suddenly got an idea. He pointed at Mas Y Menos.

"Guys, I've got an idea!" he yelled. "Get ready to run!"

"Si, amigo!" Menos said. Cyborg charged up his sonic canon, pointing it right at the two brothers.

"GO!" he yelled, firing.

The sonic blast hit the brothers right as they took off. Instead of being hit and injured by the blast, they literally carried it around the room, hitting each and every terrorists, knocking them out with the sheer force of speed and sound.

They ran out of the room. Cyborg felt the ground tremor as they unleashed the final vestiges of the blast out on the grounds. They came zooming back a moment later, black faced, smoking slightly.

"Hazlo otra vez!" they said, panting. Cyborg grinned. He guessed what they were saying.

"Let's not," he said. "Only if they get up again."

Bane's men didn't. They were out for the count. The Titans had done it... with help from Daredevil and Batman.

* * *

"Where were you?"

Bruce Wayne stared at Talia, feeling angry. She met his gaze, defiant and unwavering.

"My father has a little thing with me working with Batman," she said. "I figured that you had it under control."

"So you put your father's wishes above the life of your son?" he asked her. Her eyes glinted.

"Don't you dare..." she said in a low, dangerous voice, "... accuse me..."

"You think being a mother is about listening to your child," Bruce went on. "That's true. But it means nothing if you aren't prepared to lay down your life for them."

He turned around and walked away. If his argument was wrong, it made a mockery of his own parents' deaths. Parenthood was more than just being there. It was about being there for the child.

As he walked out into his living room. Damian was sitting on the sofa, looking straight ahead. Bruce took a deep breath, then went to sit down next to him.

"Hey, son," he said, ruffling Damian's hair. "So, wanna tell me how school's been?"

* * *

Peter Parker and Matthew Murdock walked slowly down the long, winding streets of New York. They made a turn into Hell's Kitchen, the site where they had met a long time before, in another life, in another world.

"It's exactly the same," Matthew breathed. "Just the same."

"Not really," Peter said. "There's no one in a costume flying around."

Matthew chuckled. His smile faded.

"I'm sorry," he said after a while. "I had no idea that things would turn out the way they did."

"It wasn't your fault," Peter said. "As a matter of fact, you were the one superhero I always looked up to. Not Captain America. Or Thor. And definitely not Tony Stark. You."

They walked in silence for a little while. The streets were dirty and dark, just like they were in their home world. No, these were even more so...

"You know, I think this place is worse than it is back home," Peter commented. Matthew nodded.

"It makes me feel a little happier," he said. "It means that all of our efforts in our universe actually made a difference."

"And they can make a difference here," Peter continued. He looked at Matthew. "So, are you gonna be Daredevil here?"

"I thought not, originally," he said. "But then, recent events..." and here he allowed himself a brief smile, "... has made me change my mind."

He tilted his head back, breathing deeply.

"Yes, I think I'll stay here," he said. "And guard Hell's Kitchen. _My _Kitchen."

Peter smiled. That was the Daredevil he knew.

They continued on in silence.

* * *

Cyborg gulped nervously as he stood in front of the entire Justice League of America. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, and Green Lantern all looked at him as they thought about their decision.

"So," Superman said, looking Cyborg up and down. "Cyborg. You're real name is Victor Stone, yes?"

"Uh, yeah, it is," Cyborg said, trying to remain calm.

"Do you know why you are here?" Wonder Woman asked, her hands on her hips. Cyborg shook his head.

"No, ma'am."

"'Ma'am'," Green Lantern repeated, laughing. "You're among friends, Cyborg. Don't be so formal."

"Uh, okay, thanks," Cyborg said, feeling more and more confused. He had been under the impression that he was being called here to be reprimanded for his poor performance against Bane. True, the children had all been protected and were all safe, some with minor bruises, but almost the entire school had been destroyed.

Superman glanced at Batman, who nodded.

"You are here, Cyborg," he said in a ceremonial voice, "because of your actions involved with Bane's most recent criminal activity."

Cyborg winced inwardly. But then Superman went on.

"Due to your heroic actions, and by sponsorship of Batman," Superman said, "we have decided to invite you to join the Justice League of America as an honorary member."

"Meaning if we need backup, which we often do, you're the first we'll call," Green Lantern explained with a grin.

Cyborg only heard part of Hal Jordan's words. He was shocked.

_Me, a Justice Leaguer? Wow... that's incredible. Never saw that coming._

"Uh, thank you," he said. "I'm honored. But... what about the Teen Titans?"

"Well, as we say, you would only be an honorary member," Superman explained. "You would still be a full-time Titan."

Cyborg felt a wild joy fill his cybernetic body. He grinned.

"Thank you," he said, shaking hands all around. When he got to Batman, he nodded an extra thanks.

"Don't thank me," he said in a low rasp. "Thank Damian."

As soon as Cyborg walked out of the Justice League headquarters, a newly dinted member, he punched his fist in the air.

"BOOYAH!"

* * *

Thank you, and good night.


End file.
